The only female athlete from Assam to be qualified for Olympics, boxer Lovlina Borgohain is engaged to get herself better everyday – be it inside her house or in an agriculture field.
Be it shadow punching and lifting weights, she is making the best use of the time amid the pandemic. On the occasion of International Boxing Day on July 22, Lovlina said boxing is as much as a mind game as chess.
“It’s a technical game…boxing is more a mind game. I would say like, chess, you have to apply your brain every moment inside the game. You have to read your opponent’s mind and then apply the tactics of hitting him or her, safeguarding yourself. It’s a sheer mind game,” the 22-year-old pugilist, who hails from Golaghat, told The News Mill.
Lovlina further said that boxing has influenced her life off the ring a lot. “Ever since I took up boxing seriously, it has helped me to be a better person overall. I have learnt to control my emotions and be calmer and composed even in the crisis situations. Things which we apply inside the ring also influence us outside the ring,” the lanky welterweight boxer reckoned.
Lovlina has been placed 3rd under 69 kg weight category in the recent International Boxing Association (AIBA) ranking.
The consecutive medallist at the World Boxing Championships in 2018 and 2019 is also working hard on her fitness. Her video of shadow boxing amid muddy agriculture fields went viral on social media.
“Going back to the agriculture fields has been a lovely experience which I was missing for a long time. Since 2012, for the first time I got this opportunity to get back to agriculture fields. As a kid I used to play with the mud in the fields. I’m also learning to plant the paddy saplings. I’m so happy to be doing this,” Lovlina, a great admirer of Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson, added.
On the occasion, Lovlina also urged the young boys and girls who are willing to come into boxing, to take the sport seriously and early.
“I would say if someone is willing to join boxing, do it at the earliest. The earlier you come, the chances of improvement are more. It’s a wonderful game and it can also give you a good career. It also gives you an opportunity to bring laurels for your state and country,” she said.
The AIBA designated July 22 to be celebrated every year and encouraged the global boxing family, fans, partners and stakeholders to join in celebrating.
